Favorite Vegan Brownies
These vegan brownies are indulgent, fudgy, chewy, and gooey in all the right places and studded with chocolate chunks. They are my favorite chocolate brownie recipe!
Good old-fashioned, moist, and fudgy brownies made from scratch have landed a spot in the ever-expanding collection of vegan dessert recipes!
Rich and decadent without being overly sweet, these classic homemade vegan brownies are completely dairy-free, egg-free, healthy-ish, and downright delicious! Easy to make, you can whip up a batch in about 45 minutes.
They’re pretty much fail-proof, too. Over the last few days, I have made four batches of these vegan brownies (with minor tweaks here and there), and the whole family loved them all!
Ingredients You’ll Need
It only takes a few simple ingredients to make my favorite vegan brownies.
Here is everything you will need, plus ideas for substituting ingredients:
- Flour – I used white whole wheat flour here, but all-purpose, spelt, or whole wheat pastry flour would also work. You can make gluten-free brownies by using all-purpose GF flour.
- Cocoa Powder – Seek out cocoa powder with no additives. It should be 100% cocoa powder. Dutch or natural cocoa is fine, and raw cacao powder is great too! Dutched cocoa is treated with alkaline, giving it a deep dark chocolate color and milder taste. Both natural cocoa and raw cacao are free from any processing and lighter in color.
- Sugar – Use pure cane sugar, white or brown, or coconut sugar (I used the latter because it’s not as sweet as other sugars and has a caramelly flavor). If you prefer sweeter brownies, use pure cane sugar.
- Baking Powder – If you don’t have baking powder on hand, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda will be fine.
- Non-Dairy Butter – I use Miyoko’s butter, it’s my favorite. I’ve used light-flavored olive oil (as shown above), but any neutral oil will work. For oil-free vegan brownies, unsweetened applesauce is terrific (although they may be a little more cakey)!
- Flax Eggs – I love this handy bag of flax meal from Bob’s Red Mill (Target carries it a little cheaper, sorry Bob!). It’s nice having flax meal on hand for flax eggs whenever I need them.
- Vanilla – Finally, a dose of vanilla takes just about anything chocolatey over the top!
For extra brownie love, add chunks of dark chocolate before baking and coarse sea salt after. It makes gooey, chocolate-studded vegan brownies with just the right touch of salt to complement the subtle sweetness. It’s complete perfection!
How To Make Vegan Brownies
(Note – The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post)
- Mix: Mix the wet ingredients until combined, add the dry ingredients, and mix again as shown above.
- Pour: Pour brownie batter into a prepared 8 x 8 baking dish. Top with optional chocolate chunks as shown below.
- Bake: Place in the center of the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes.
While waiting for the brownies to bake, enjoy scraping every bit of batter off the side of the bowl!
How To Tell When Brownies Are Done
Brownies, unlike cake, can be a little harder to tell when they are done. A good rule of thumb goes as follows. For cake-like brownies, bake until the edges start pulling away from the pan’s edges. For fudgy brownies, bake using the time range given in the recipe.
Baking Tips
- Use quality ingredients! With only a handful of ingredients, sourcing the best will make for the ultimate vegan chocolate brownies.
- Let flax eggs set. Make sure your flax eggs have time to set, at least 10 minutes, before using.
- Give your brownies wings. It helps to line your pan with parchment paper. Leave an overhang on the sides to create handles. This way, when your brownies are done, you simply lift them by the overhang to pull them out. I used these pre-cut sheets, cutting one in half and placing the halves crossed on each other. It fits perfectly in an 8 x 8.
- Ensure the oven is hot. Wait for the oven to be completely preheated before adding the brownies, placing them in the center of the oven for even baking. Baking time will vary from oven to oven, so use your best judgment.
How To Store
- Counter: Store leftover brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 – 4 days.
- Refrigerator: They will stay fresh longer if stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freezer: These vegan brownies freeze beautifully for 2 – 3 months. The best way to freeze brownies is to let them cool completely, cut them into squares, and individually wrap them in Saran Wrap. Before serving, let them thaw in the refrigerator or counter for a few hours.
Serving Suggestions
Here are a few of my favorite ways to enjoy these brownies:
- Serve as is.
- Serve with a side of coconut whipped cream or non-dairy vanilla ice cream.
- They’re also great with a tall glass of ice-cold, non-dairy milk or a hot cup of coffee!
More Vegan Chocolate Recipes!
- Supreme Black Bean Brownies
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chia Pudding
- Chocolate Cherry Smoothie
- See all vegan chocolate recipes on TSV!
If you try these easy brownies, please let us know! Leave a comment and rate them below. I’d love to hear what you think or make any changes.
PrintFAVORITE VEGAN BROWNIES
This vegan brownie recipe is the only no-fail recipe you’ll ever need! Perfect gooey brownies, incredibly fudgy, super easy to make and downright indulgent!
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 9, 1 brownie per serving 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: mix, bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113g) non-dairy butter, applesauce or light flavored olive oil
- 1 1/4 cups (282g) sugar (organic pure cane or coconut)
- 3 flax eggs (see instructions)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (125g) flour (all-purpose, spelt, whole wheat, or gluten free all-purpose)
- 2/3 cup (65g) cocoa/cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- generous pinch of salt
- 2 oz. dark chocolate bar, chopped
- coarse salt, for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line and 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper, or lightly grease with oil. If using a 9 x 13 baking dish, see recipe instructions below.
Flax egg: In a small bowl, combine 3 heaped tablespoons flaxseed meal with 1/2 cup water or unsweetened non-dairy milk. Let rest for 10 minutes to thicken.
Mix: In a medium size mixing bowl, add the 1/2 cup butter/oil/applesauce and sugar, mix well. Add in the flax eggs and vanilla, mix again. Add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, mix well to combine. May take a minute or so to completely become mixed.
Pour: Pour brownie batter into the center of the prepared baking dish. Spread to the edges as needed. Optionally top with chopped chunks of dark chocolate or vegan chocolate chips.
Bake: Place in the center of the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes, as ovens may vary. Brownies are a bit harder to tell doneness compared to cake, so we recommend using a butter knife to check for doneness. Place in the center of the brownies, and once removed, it should come out without excess batter clinging to the knife.
Cool: Let cool in the baking dish. If you used parchment paper, after 5 – 10 minutes, lift the edges and move the brownies to a wire rack to cool.
Store: Keep loosely covered on the counter for up to 4 – 5 days. They keep longer in the refrigerator, up to 2 weeks.
Notes
My favorite butter is Miyoko’s Butter, it is a little more expensive, but it’s quality. I’ve also made these with light flavored olive oil (as shown here) and applesauce with great success! Note, using applesauce may make the brownies more cake-like.
I find that organic pure cane sugar is much sweeter than coconut sugar. If you’re looking for sweeter brownies, definitely stick with pure cane sugar.
If using applesauce, these are low-fat brownies.
Recipe for 13×9 baking dish:
- 3/4 cup (169g) non-dairy butter, applesauce, or light flavored olive oil
- 2 cups (396g) sugar (organic pure cane or coconut)
- 5 heaped tablespoons flaxseed meal + 3/4 cup water or non-dairy milk (for flax eggs)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) flour (all-purpose, spelt, whole wheat, or gluten-free all-purpose)
- 1 cup (84g) cocoa/cacao powder
- 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
- generous pinch of salt
- 3 oz. dark chocolate bar, chopped
- coarse salt, for garnish
Bake for 40 – 45 minutes.
Making conversions? I recommend double-checking the King Arthur Ingredient Weight Chart for your specific ingredients.
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Lovely recipe, thank you! I used sunflower oil instead of butter and less sugar and it was still tasty and a nice texture. Just wish it wasn’t raining so I could have got some vegan ice cream to put with it :-) Thanks again!
I tried this recipe. It’s the best healthiest brownie recipe.